Advise from a group fitness instructor
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Some people think that 'shocking the body' by changing the exercises daily is how to get results and that couldn't be further from the truth! When you follow a program, 80% of the exercises will be some form of the 6 foundational movements. (As explained in Blog Post: Ben Bruno Nike Podcast)
1. Push 2. Pull 3. Hinge 4. Squat 5. Lunge 6. Carry
- For example, you should always have a pull movement in your program. I know you’re thinking, omg that sounds so boring! But guess what, there are multiple different ways to perform the same movement (dumbbell single arm bent over row, TRX row, kettle bell row, resistance band rows - you get the gist).When you follow a periodized program for 4 weeks at a time, you perform the same exercises on specific days (for example upper body pull movements and lower body push movements on one day and lower body pull and upper body push on another) and record your data. This way you can SEE your results on paper and understand what parts of the body have been worked, so you don’t overwork them the very next day. It gives your muscles and mind a chance to adapt to the exercises. Increasing the challenge of the exercise each week with added weight, repetitions, or tempo are all ways to create a progressive overload. THIS IS KEY.
So for all my group fitness junkies out there …
you know who you are! When you jump around from class to class
you are only getting about 50% of the muscular benefits
because (as you know) energy goes where attention flows. A lot of your energy is being used to focus more on the mental part of what you are doing rather than the physical part of what you are doing. So, guess what? You are not getting the most bang for your buck. You’re trying to learn the exercise, understand the form, get your alignment down, AND figure out what weights are best for you all in one hour?! Not to mention you are at risk of overworking your muscles. If you don’t know what parts of the body were worked during class, then you do another class the very next day, and the next day, guess what?! Your muscles do not get a chance to appropriately recover and grow or worse can get injuries caused from over working.
you are working twice as hard and getting ½ the results...if any
Now, don’t get me wrong I love group fitness classes (I mean I teach them!) But going back to the 80/20 rule. As a personal trainer I like to have 80% of my fitness coming from a strength training program and 20% mixing it up with things like group classes. It is all about being mindful about your program. Know what you are doing and WHY you are doing it.
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